Cyanide letters sent to the Herald

5.15pm

Police have confirmed that two letters received by the New Zealand Herald today contained cyanide.

Earlier this month the Herald received a letter warning that noon today would see a "demonstration of capabilities" in Auckland and Wellington if the United States proceeded with an invasion of Iraq. That letter followed four other letters to embassies and high commissions in New Zealand. Two of the letters contained cyanide powder.

Assistant police commissioner Jon White said the letters received by the Herald today were "similar in tone and style" to the first letters.

The contents were being analysed but cyanide was present.

Staff at the Herald have been taking special precautions with incoming mail and were not in any danger as a result of handling the two letters today, said Ken Steinke, managing director of Herald publisher Wilson and Horton Ltd.

Mr White said today's letters reaffirmed threats made against "US, British and Australian interests in New Zealand".

The letter sent to the Herald earlier this month had made two threats:

The first, to release cyanide into water supplies and cyanide gas into cinemas if and when Iraq was invaded, failed to materialise when the war began last week.

The second was the threatened "demonstration of capabilities" at noon today, which could include dumping cyanide into water supplies in houses and motels, and releasing cyanide gas into cinemas.

In one of the first set of letters the writer claimed to have 25kg of "weapons-grade" cyanide, a term unlikely to be used by someone with knowledge of cyanide, as there is no such thing as weapons-grade cyanide.

The letters sparked a security increase at cinemas, hotels and motels and at water reservoirs in both Wellington and Auckland.

Scientists believe that, with a little knowledge, it would not be difficult to carry out the threat to contaminate motel and hotel water supplies.

In Wellington today, police searched the Reading Cinema complex after a phone call threatening some sort of terrorist action.

The call was made by a man to a Telecom 111 operator this morning, police central communications centre Senior Sergeant Gerry Broughton told NZPA.

Police evacuated the theatre but found nothing suspicious.

Mr Broughton said another false alarm was raised earlier in the day when a pile of rubbish on The Terrace raised public suspicions. Again nothing was found.

Police have asked anyone who may have information about the letters to ring 0800 THREAT (0800 847328) or email them via their special cyanide threat web page.